https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Medicine/Translation_task_force/RTT/Simple_ALS
中文條目（引言已很完整）：https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%82%8C%E8%90%8E%E7%BC%A9%E6%80%A7%E8%84%8A%E9%AB%93%E4%BE%A7%E7%B4%A2%E7%A1%AC%E5%8C%96%E7%97%87
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease and Charcot disease, is a specific disorder that involves the death of neurons.[1] In the United Kingdom the term motor neurone disease (MND) is commonly used,[2] while others use that termfor a group of five conditions of which ALS is the most common.[3] ALS is characterized bystiff muscles, muscle twitching, and gradually worsening weakness due to muscle wasting. This results in difficulty speaking, swallowing, and eventually breathing.[4]
The cause is not known in 90% to 95% of cases.[4] About 5-10% of cases are inheritedfrom a person’s parents.[5] About half of these genetic cases are due to one of two specificgenes. It results in the death of the neurons that control voluntary muscles. The diagnosis is based on a person’s signs and symptoms with testing done to rule out other potential causes.[4]
There is no cure for ALS.[4] A medication called riluzole may extend life expectancy by about two to three months.[6] Non-invasive ventilation may result in both improved quality and length of life.[7] The disease usually starts around the age of 60 and in inherited cases around the age of 50.[5] The average survival from onset to death is three to four years.[8]About 10% survive longer than 10 years.[4] Most die from respiratory failure. In much of the world, rates of ALS are unknown.[5] In Europe and the United States, the disease affects about 2 people per 100,000 per year.[5][9]
Descriptions of the disease date back to at least 1824 by Charles Bell.[10] In 1869, the connection between the symptoms and the underlying neurological problems were first described by Jean-Martin Charcot, who in 1874 began using the term amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.[10] It became well known in the United States when it affected the famous baseball player Lou Gehrig,[1] and in the 20th century when Stephen Hawking gained fame for his scientific achievements.[11] In 2014 videos of the ice bucket challenge went viral on the internet and increased public awareness.[12]